Display forms used in the clothing industry are partial, rather than full-body mannequins. They are usually provided with some means for supporting the forms in an upright position so as to display clothing for sale and some means for adjusting the height of the form. Such forms are generally supported on a cylindrical pole secured to a base. In the past, the form was secured by a type of clamping device usually requiring a screw to be tightened until the screw head contacted the pole or a bolt or bolts to be tightened with a wrench. The methods of securing the form to the pole can result in deformation of the pole and damage to the outside surface of the pole. In addition, such screws are often difficult to tighten manually and the need to use a wrench to adjust the display height may prove inconvenient.
A pole holder device produced by Dynacrystal Industrial Corporation, Taipei, Taiwan uses a thumbscrew to secure the pole holder to the pole. This device has a plastic cylindrical housing with an integral flange for attachment to a form. Four equally spaced vertical ridges project from the inner wall of the housing cylinder. The pole is held between two of the ridges and the end of the thumbscrew which is threaded through the wall of the cylindrical housing. Since the end of the screw directly contacts the pole, this device can damage the outside surface of the column. This device is made of plastic and easily broken, leading to a large number of returns of broken devices. In addition, a given device is manufactured for use with only one pole outer diameter size. In order to accommodate different pole outer diameters, multiple pole holders are needed.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,056,254 issued to Albright et al. on May 2, 2000 discloses a column clamp wherein the column or pole is clamped between a generally semi-cylindrical clamping shoe and a semi-cylindrical contact surface formed on the inner surface of the clamp body. A clamping screw attaches to the clamping shoe and applies the clamping pressure. In the embodiment manufactured by Seven Continents, Canada, this device is only able to accommodate a limited range of pole or column outer diameter sizes. For example, one device was able to accommodate a minimum pole diameter of approximately xe2x85x9exe2x80x3 and a maximum pole diameter of approximately 1xe2x80x3.
This invention relates generally to a pole holder for securing an object such as a display form to a pole. The pole holder of this invention permits simple adjustment of the height of the object and can be easily adapted for use with poles of different diameters by simply changing the insert which grips the pole. It is easily tightened by hand and resists breakage.
The invention provides a pole holder comprising:
(a) an outer annular ring;
(b) an inner C-shaped partial ring having a circular cross-section with an opening therein, said partial ring having an outer surface and an inner gripping surface, and being sized to fit within said outer annular ring, said inner partial ring being adapted in use to fit around the circumference of a pole;
(c) means for exerting pressure on the outer surface of said C-shaped partial ring whereby the size of said opening is reduced with a corresponding reduction in the circumference of said partial ring, whereby said inner gripping surface non-slidably grips said pole.
This invention also provides a pole holder kit comprising:
(a) an outer annular ring;
(b) a plurality of inner C-shaped partial rings, each inner C-shaped partial ring having a circular cross-section with an opening therein, each said partial ring having an outer surface and an inner gripping surface, and being sized to fit within said outer annular ring, wherein each said inner partial ring is adapted in use to fit around the circumference of a pole with a different outside diameter;
(c) means for exerting pressure on the outer surface of said C-shaped partial ring whereby the size of said opening is reduced with a corresponding reduction in the circumference of said partial ring, whereby said inner gripping surface non-slidably grips said pole.
This invention also provides a method for making a pole holder comprising:
a) providing an outer annular ring;
b) providing an inner C-shaped partial ring having a circular cross-section with an opening therein, said partial ring having an outer surface and an inner gripping surface, and being sized to fit within said outer annular ring, said inner partial ring being adapted in use to fit around the circumference of a pole;
(c) providing means for exerting pressure on the outer surface of said C-shaped partial ring whereby the size of said opening is reduced with a corresponding reduction in the circumference of said partial ring, whereby said inner gripping surface non-slidably grips said pole
(d) assembling the pole holder by inserting said inner C-shaped partial ring into said outer ring and attaching the means for exerting pressure on the outer surface of said C-shaped partial ring.
This invention also provides a method for adjustably attaching an object to a pole comprising attaching a pole holder of this invention to said object, sliding the pole through the pole holder, and tightening said pole holder so that it non-slidably grips said pole.
The term xe2x80x9cpole holderxe2x80x9d means a device which is placed around the circumference of a pole and which can be mechanically adjusted to non-slidably grip the pole. A pole is defined as a generally cylindrical column which may be solid or hollow. The pole exterior may have a painted or slippery surface. Typical pole diameters used for forms are ⅝xe2x80x3 outer diameter, xe2x85x9exe2x80x3 outer diameter, and 1xe2x80x3 outer diameter.
The term ring is defined as an object which in cross-section has a generally circular form with a vacant generally circular center. The outside surface of a ring forms the outer wall of the ring while the inside surface forms the inner wall of the ring. A ring may have projections or cutouts from the inner or outer wall which may cause the inner or outer wall of the ring to deviate from a circular shape in cross-section. A ring may also contain voids. The height of a ring is measured in the direction perpendicular to the inner and outer diameter of the ring. The height of the inner ring may be any height which allows the inner ring to non-slidably grip a pole. The height of the outer ring may be any height which is compatible with the height of the inner ring. The outer diameter of a ring may vary along its height, resulting in a conical outer wall.
A partial ring is a ring having an opening which extends from the inner to the outer wall of the ring. Therefore, a partial ring has an arc less than 360 degrees. A C-shaped ring is a partial ring which has an arc greater than 180 degrees, preferably greater than 270 degrees.
The inner C-shaped ring is preferably made of a material capable of compressing under pressure applied by hand-operated means, such as a thumb screw, so that the diameter of the inner ring is reduced and it grips the pole tightly. The inner C-shaped ring has an inner surface, referred to herein as a xe2x80x9cgripping surface,xe2x80x9d which in combination with the pole has a coefficient of friction which provides sufficient frictional force to hold the pole so that it does not slide when pressure is applied to the inner ring. The required amount of frictional force may be obtained by one skilled in the art without undue experimentation by providing a rough or non-slick surface or other surface which in combination with the pole has a coefficient of friction which prevents sliding of the pole when the pole holder is tightened, but allows the pole to slide therein when not tightened. Preferably, the inner C-shaped ring is made from plastic such as nylon. Use of a plastic inner ring limits marring of the pole surface by the element of the device which grips the pole.
The outer annular ring of the pole holder is pierced to receive the shaft of the screw or other means for exerting pressure so that the end of the screw or other means for exerting pressure exerts pressure on the outer surface of the C-shaped member. If the means for exerting pressure is a screw, the opening in the outer ring of the pole holder may be threaded for engaging the screw shaft. Preferably the outer annular ring is made of metal, but it may be made of any material providing sufficient rigidity to hold the other components. The outer ring may be equipped with a flange for attachment to an object to be attached to a pole, or it may be directly attached to the object, e.g. by means of screws engaging with screw holes in the outer ring, adhesive, or other means known in the art.
The pole holders of this invention are suitable for attaching any object to a pole. Preferred embodiments are used to attach forms or full mannequins to a pole.